Village of Orland Park Sportsplex Offers FREE Pilates Day

The fitness staff at the Village of Orland Park Sportsplex know the best way to tell people about the facility’s new Pilates equipment is to let them see and try it firsthand.

The village’s Recreation Department is hosting two free Pilates Days at its Sportsplex, inviting everyone to try the newest additions to the fitness center on Wednesday, October 1, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Friday, October 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The village’s Sportsplex is located at 11351 West 159th Street. Attendees do not have to be Sportsplex members or Orland Park residents to try the equipment and those who bring friends will be entered into a second raffle for fun prizes and give aways.

“We are inviting everyone --- men, women, teens, seniors --- to come to the Sportsplex to see and try the newest additions to the village’s Pilates offerings,” said Deborah Graham-Geghen, fitness manager for the village’s Sportsplex.

Created by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, Pilates is a form of exercise that emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement. It is one of the most popular exercise systems in the country.

“What’s great about Pilates is that it works well for such a wide range of people,” Graham-Geghen said. “We’ve had people from every imaginable background try the Pilates Reformers at the village’s Sportsplex --- women, men, seniors, moms rebounding from pregnancies and a number of people at different stages of getting back into shape.”

Pilates is resistance training that creates lean muscle that increases metabolism for the rest of the day. It can be adjusted for all fitness levels and is ideal for men, women, children and seniors. Pilates tones and lengthens the muscles while strengthening and creating flexibility. Every Pilates moves works the entire body.

The village’s Sportsplex offers Pilates training on the reformer with its attached tower and on Pilates chairs. “I cannot stress enough how this is a great exercise for everyone --- regardless of their skill level because everyone is adapted to what the individual person needs,” Graham-Geghen said.

“The Pilates Method emphasizes quality over quantity and this program does not include a lot of repetitions for each move,” Graham-Geghen said. “Instead, doing each exercise fully with precision yields significant results in a shorter time that most people would ever imagine,” she added. The program follows six philosophical foundations, centering, control, flow, breath, prevision and concentration.

Reserve a free Pilates trial for October 1 or October 3 by calling the Village of Orland Park Sportsplex at 708/645-7529 and asking for the fitness desk.